Stitch-separating machine.



No. 652,908. Patented July 3, I900.

J. B. HADAWAY.

STITCH SEPARATING. MACHINE.

' (Application filed my 2, 1900.) (No Model.)

3 SheetsSheei I.

No. 652,908. Patented July 3, I900.

.1. VB. HADAWAY.

STITCH SEPARATING MACHINE. (Application filed m 2, 1900.) (No Model.)

3 Sheets$heet 2.

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No. 652,908. Patented July 3, l90.D.'

J. B. HADAWAY.

STITCH SEPABATING MACHINE.

(Application filed May 2, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 sheatss'heet 3..

1 E uonms PETERS co, PHO'TO-LITPjO WASHINGTON, b. c.

Ni -TED ATES ATENT nron.

STITCH-SEPARATING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,908, dated July 3,1900.

Application filed May 2, 1900. Serial No. 15,207. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. HADAWAY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Brock-..

ton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Stitch -Separating Machines; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in stitch separating[machines or stitch separating and indenting machines, as they aresometimes called, and more particularly to that class of such machinesby which the stitch-separating operation is performed after the seam hasbeen finished.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effectivemeans of compensating for the slight variations in the length ofstitches commonly found invboot and shoe work, so that thestitch-separating tool will" accurately indent the intervals betweenthe.

stitches whether of varying or uniform length. While I am aware that itis not broadly new to provide for such compensation, such provisionhaving been made in several machines heretofore patented by me, I haveby my present invention produced a simple and effective means ofsecuring this result which greatly reduces the cost of machines of thisclass without impairing their efficiency.

'T0 the above end the present invention consists of the devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter set forth and claimed.

A preferred form of my present invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of amachine embodying the same. Fig. 2 is a front end elevation, and Fig. 3is an elevation of a portion of the mechanism for actuating the feed.

In carrying out my present invention I provide a stitch-separatingtoolwhich has a fixed path of movement ,to and .from the work to be operated"upon, soas to always act upon as to allow the indenting-tool in actingon the stitches to shift the work backward or forwardto compensate forvariations in the length of the stitches. To allow of this shiftingaction, I provide a feeding mechanism which may engage the work withsufficientv ing roll, to the shaft of which is secured a groovedfriction driving-disk. With this disk cooperates a suitablefriction-pawl, whereby the feed-roll, and consequently the frictiondisk,may be shifted either backward or forward independently of the pawlwithout in-:

terfering with the proper action of the pawl in turning the feed-wheeluniform distances.

As shown in the drawings, in which like reference characters indicatelike parts, the frame of the machine consists of the base A and the twouprights A and A 13 is the main shaft, journaled at the top of Ithe-uprights A A and provided with the fast and loose pulleys B BReciprocating in fixed guidewaysin the upright A is the toolcarryingslide 0. This slide is reciprocated by a crank-pin c at the end of theshaft B engaging a slot 0 in the slide. The stitch separating orindenting tool D is secured tothe lower end of the slide 0, so as to becapable of vertical adjustment, by meansof the screw-.

bolt (1, passing through a vertical slot d in the shank of the tool.

Directly beneath the reciprocating tool D is the work supporting andfeeding roll E, secured by a screwe to a feed-shaft F. This shaft isjournaled in a block F, pivoted at F in an opening inthe lowerpartofithe upright A and adapted to swing vertically in an opening in the;upright A. The block F.

is held yieldingly against an adjustable stop F on the upright A bymeans of the coilspring F situated in the opening in the upright A andbeneath the free end of the block. The upper end of this spring isseated in a recess formed in the lower part of the free end of the blockF, and its lower end rests 011 the shoulder of a block carried by avertical adj Listing-screw F Situated just above the roll E andextending from a lug on the upright A to the proximity of and slightlybeyond the working edge of the tool D is a combined gage and upper guardII, which will be more particularly described hereinafter. This part His secured to a lug of the upright A by means of a screw-bolt, as shown.

East on the end of the shaft- F opposite to the roll E is the disk I,the periphery of which is formed with a V-shaped groove. Coacting withthis grooved disk is a friction-pawl mechanism comprising a lever 11,loosely pivoted on the shaft F and having pivoted thereto thefriction-pawl i. This pawl is provided with a V-shaped end, which isadapted to engage the correspondingly-shaped groove of the disk I and ispressed into engagement with the disk by the spring 2' secured to thelever t' and bearing upon the upper side of the pawl. The lever i isoscillated in order to give the requisite feed movements to the disk Iby means of a rod 2' connected at one end to the outer end of the leveriand at its opposite end provided with a strap surrounding an cecentric2' on the mainshaft. pawl-and-ratchetmechanism is designed to move thefeed-roll forward intermittently uniform distances corresponding to thenormal length of the stitches in the work being operated upon, and inorder to adjust the distance through which the feed-roll is moved ineach feeding movement to correspond with the different lengths ofstitches found in different styles of workas, for instance, in shoes ofdifferent sizesI provide an adj ustable connection between the lever t'and the rod i As shown, this connection consists of a pin t passingthrough a slot 6 in the outer end of the lever '5, held in adjustedposition by means of the screw-nut i and forming a pivot for the end ofthe rod 2' The rod i is held upon the pin between a flange i on the pinand an end washer t.

t is apointer carried by the end of the rod 2' and moving over a scaleon the lever 'i to indicate the kind of work for which thefeed-operating devices are adjusted.

It will be noted that the peripheral surface of the roll E is at anangle to the axis of the roll and that the lower surface of the part IIis substantially parallel with this axis. By reason of this constructionthe part II acts as a gage for the work on the roll E and properlypositions it with relation to the separating-tool D. As stated above,the part H extends slightly beyond the tool D and so acts as a guard forthe upper of a shoe being operated upon by preventing the upper pass ingbeneath the tool.

This frictional In the operation of the machine the roll E I is firstadjusted by means of the adjustingstop I to the' proper distance belowthe gage II. The proper position for the roll E willbe determined by thethickness of the shoe-sole being operated upon and by the distance towhich the sole extends beyond the upper. The actuating devices of thefeed mechanism having been adjusted to give the length of feed required,the workman places the shoe the stitches of which are to be indentedupon the roll E, as shown in Fig. 1, the bottom of the sole engaging thefeed-roll and the sole being properly positioned under theseparating-tool D by the gage-plate II. The shoe is held upon the roll Eand properly guided by the workman during the indenting operation. Solong as there are no irregularities in the stitches it will be evidentthat the movements given to the feed-roll E by its actuating mechanismwill properly position the work beneath the tool D at each feedingoperation. Should, however, irregularities occur, the work will not beproperly positioned and the tool will strike to one side of the spacebetween the stitches. In such case it is necessary that the work beshifted by the action of the tool on the stitches, and this is providedfor in my present invention by the novel construction and arrangement ofmy feeding mechanism and actuating devices. It will be noted that myfeeding mechanism engages the bottom of the sole only and that by reasonof its frictional engagement therewith the sole can be made to slip overthe engaging surface under the action of the indenting-tool on thestitches. I may rely on this slipping action alone or I may so arrangethe feeding mechanism with relation to its actuating devices as to allowa movement of the feed mechanism with the work under the action of thetool on the stitches independently of the feed-mechanism-actuatingdevices or Imay combine these methods of operation. The apparatus shownin the drawings and described above may be so constructed as to act inany one of these three ways.

It will be seen that the feeding-roll E is always free to move forwardindependently of its actuating devices and that it is free to movebackward during the return stroke of the lever i. It will also be seenthat the actuating devices will act to move the feed-roll uniformdistances after the feed-roll has been shifted in either direction.Preferably I so arrange the actuating devices of the feed mechanism withrelation to the mechanism for actuating the separating-tool as to causethe indenting action to take place while the feed mechanism is free fromits actuating devices. I may, however, cause the indenting action totake place at the end of the feed movement and while the feed mechanismis still engaged by its actuating devices. In such case the feedmechanism would move forward with the work in compensating for a longstitch; but the work wouldslip backward through the feed mechanism incompensating for a short stitch. It will, moreover, be evident that thefeed mechanism might be mounted with sufficient friction to cause thework to slip when moved by the action of the separating-tool on thestitches instead of actuating the feed mechanism.

Having thus described my invention andexplained the operation thereof,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, astitch-separating tool, a feeding device acting on the bottom of thesole anism for actuating the tool, substantially as described.

3. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, a feed-roll,movable in either direction by the action of the tool on the stitches,mechanism for actuating the feedroll to feed the sole uniform distances,having provision for releasing it to permit its movement by theseparating-tool, and mechanism for actuating the tool, substantially asdescribed.

4. A stitch-separating machine, having, in combination, astitch-separating tool, a feeding device in constant engagement with thework arranged to permit the work to be moved in either direction by theaction of the tool on the stitches, mechanism to actuate the feed tocause it to feed thework uniform distances, and mechanism to actuate theseparating-tool, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN B. HADAWAY. Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN, ALFRED H. HILDRETH.

